We are living in anxious uncertain times and in a divided country and world. Our situation has rightly been described in religious terms as a collective dark night of the soul. Psychologically, we are experiencing an eruption from the deep unconscious that demands a new level of consciousness for individuals and religious and political collectives. Jung once warned that “what we refuse to face inside meets us from the outside as fate.” His is an apt insight for scapegoat religions and politics that beg out attention.  

In the Friday night presentation and conversation, Dr. Jerry R. Wright will address our “fate” from a religious and depth psychological perspective, and will suggest a way forward through our collective darkness. This will require an honest depth psychological appraisal of our inherited religions, especially the three monotheisms – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This appraisal must include a courageous reimagining of the meanings of “god and religion.” Dr. Wright will propose that this is our most urgent task as a species.

The Saturday workshop will expand and personalize the Friday night themes. Drawing on the relatively new insights of Jungian psychology, ancient mystical traditions, and the discoveries of modern science, Dr. Wright will propose an alternative path forward that will be inclusive, intellectually and scientifically honest, and soul-satisfying. The new path will have the character of a grounded, embodied, mysticism, an image that will be examined for its individual and collective applications.

​While the analytical psychology of Carl Gustav Jung will be the primary lens for the two events, a thorough knowledge of Jungian psychology will not be required for full participation.

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​Objectives
Participants will be able to:

 

Friday Objectives

• Compare the major contributions and major criticisms of the three major monotheistic religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

• Describe the “myth of consciousness” growing out of Analytical or Jungian Psychology and critique its relevance for the modern/postmodern mind and ancient soul.

• Considering our western culture as a potential patient/client for therapy or analysis, describe a possible diagnosis, intervention, and prognosis. 

 
Saturday Objectives

• Describe your own religious/spiritual background and the various meanings of ‘god’ and ‘religion’ that have held meaning for you.

• Describe what is meant by a grounded embodied mysticism and compare its potential meanings in theological and psychological terms.

• List or name ways that a “Practical Mysticism” might address our current crises, including climate change, terror and violence, and the denigration of feminine values.

• Describe how the myth of Circe has evolved over the eons and what that might mean for an individual’s journey toward wholeness.

• Utilize the myth of Circe to identify projections and complexes that might trigger anger and frustration.

• Discuss shadow and how the radical denial of feminine/masculine traits and projection onto the other contribute to anxiety and depression.

• Describe implications for counseling and the therapeutic process.